Derby d’Italia: A Chance For Serie A Dominance For Juventus, Inter Milan

Juventus vs Inter Milan

Juventus and Inter Milan renew their regional rivalry in the Derby d’Italia this week, and it’s already promising to be another classic as both top-rated teams aim to prove their title credentials in this Serie A clash.

The Old Lady of Turin currently lead the league and are not slowing down, staying unbeaten through 14 games this season. On the other hand, while Inter had a less-than-ideal start to the campaign, they have since bounced back and are now third—albeit 11 points behind the Bianconeri.

Sure enough, this game won’t decide the Scudetto just yet. However, make no mistake, derbies as big as this one could have a massive impact on the victors, and that’s especially the case for Juventus and Inter who are eyeing for the same prize.

Talking Points

Juventus unstoppable, Inter improving

Juventus are off to their best start in recent years, and it seems the risk they took when they acquired Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid is paying off big time.

After taking the Serie A 2018 news headlines with their record-breaking run in the opening 12 games, they continued their dominance and bagged back-to-back victories (and clean sheets) against SPAL and Fiorentina.

They have 13 wins right now and one draw, courtesy of a 1-1 result against Genoa late last October. Moreover, that stalemate was largely a fluke, considering that they were gearing themselves up for their high-profile Champions League contest with Manchester United less than 72 hours later.

The Bianconeri are the league’s top scorers this year—something expected given that they have probably the best striker in the world—but it was their defence that keeps them thriving. They have allowed eight goals so far, a rate which puts them on pace to concede just 22 this year.

While Juventus came roaring right from opening day, Inter had a relatively slow start and, in fact, won just once in their first four games of the 2018-19 season. Since their loss to Parma in mid-September though, they have won eight times and lost only one (a shock 4-1 defeat to Atalanta).

Their resurgence saw them climb to third, but it’s quite worrying that they failed to build momentum heading to this derby at the Allianz Stadium. Luciano Spalletti’s men played out a 2-2 draw with Roma over the weekend despite dominating for the most part and leading twice in the match.

One positive note for Inter: they aren’t lagging behind Juventus on both ends of the pitch, having already scored 27 with 12 goals conceded.

It’s still up in the air how the two teams will line up and what tactics their managers will use in the game, particularly with a UCL fixture scheduled next week. Inter have a must-win game over PSV in midweek, so that could divide their attention in this encounter.

Portuguese vs Argentine

It’s not Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo, but Mauro Icardi—heir apparent to Messi in the Argentina national team—against Ronny has a certain appeal to it!

Not to mention that the two players are among the best scorers in the Italian top flight today.

Ronaldo, as usual, is showing his attacking prowess. He is the tournament’s top scorer, converting from the spot in their recent thrashing of the Viola to bring his tally to 10. Moreover, his scoring exploits made him the first Juventus player since John Charles in 1957 to hit at least 10 league goals in the first 14 games of the season.

The talismanic Portuguese has been directly involved in half of Juve’s last eight goals in all competitions, tallying three markers and one assist.

On the other hand, Icardi has eight goals so far to go along with two deliveries. Remarkably, the rising Argentine has scored all of those in the past six games that he started for Inter, including a brace against SPAL and Lazio.

In their unfortunate draw with Roma, Icardi also made their second goal (and lead of the game) before the team collapsed in the closing stages.

Both players are on a tear, so how they will fare against each other is another must-watch storyline in this derby.

History

Well, it’s safe to say there’s plenty of history between these two iconic clubs. This December encounter will be their 171st meeting overall, with Juve winning 81 of their previous match-ups to Inter’s 46. They have drawn 43 times.

In their home-and-away tie in 2017-18, Inter held the Bianconeri to a goalless draw at the Allianz Stadium. In the return fixture at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Juventus won 2-3 after finding themselves trailing by one goal early in the second half.